January 15, 2010

Today, we are stoked to announce v.4 of our iPhone application: the biggest Yelp for iPhone update yet! It's a veritable treasure trove of on-the-go goodies from community features to contribution ones. Most notably we are bringing even more of Yelp.com to your iPhone, and if you're logged in; you'll notice a new user interface on the app. There's a LOT to cover so let's get to it!

Yelp Profile: Not
only are you able to log into your Yelp.com profile (v.3), but now you
will also be able to see and interact with your Yelp profile as you
would on Yelp.com.

Yelp Friend Finder: You can now see and invite friends from your iPhone's address book to join you on Yelp. If you've connected with Facebook, we'll also let you know if any of your FB friends are yelping, too.

Yelp Check-ins:
We've now added the ability for yelpers to "Check-in" to businesses.
This includes being able to broadcast your whereabouts and send Quick
Tips to your friends on Yelp, Facebook and Twitter who, if they opt-in
to these updates, will be able to see your location both via "Push"
alerts, as well as on a map.
Active users of this feature may receive "Regular" status of
highly-frequented businesses. This means they are part of an active
group of people who patronize a business and this moniker will appear
next to reviews and tips and on business pages in the app, as well as
on the business listing on Yelp.com.

Sharing via Facebook Connect and Twitter:
We've taken another online feature, offline. Yelpers now have the
ability to share their check-ins and Quick Tips via Facebook Connect
and Twitter while on the go.

Updates to Monocle: In
addition to seeing reviews nearby in Monocle, Yelp's Augmented Reality
feature, you can also see which businesses your friend's have
"checked-in" to as well as a new "map" in Monocle view that will move with you.

And
since a picture or two will spare you from having to read a few
thousand words. We present a few screen shots and much shorter
descriptions.
What is Yelp Check-ins? Yelp Check-ins is a way for you to
broadcast that you are at a business to friends on Yelp, Facebook or
Twitter. Your friends will be able to see:- Your activity via your Yelp for iPhone profile page- Opt-in alerts including "Push" notifications- A Leaderboard on Yelp for iPhone-
A Map that will also show the "Check-ins" of your friends nearby and
your check-in count next to your Yelp star rating if you've written a
review on Yelp.com

- Where you've checked in on Monocle, Yelp's AR feature launched in August-Active users of Yelp Check-ins can also earn "Regular" status of highly-frequented businesses.

What are Yelp Regulars?Yelp
is all about community - we have never put emphasis on any one voice or
opinion. In line with that philosophy, we opted to highlight a group of
people who frequent a business as opposed to just one person. "Regular"
status can be achieved by frequent patronage - or checking in - of a
business. This title will show up on a user's profile, next to reviews
and tips and on the business page in the iPhone app, as well as
eventually on that business listing on Yelp.com. The Regular with the
most Check-ins will not only be featured on that business page, but get
to wear the golden badge of honor. The moniker can also be lost if
patronage wanes, so Regulars must visit a business often to keep it.

Why Check-ins? Yelp
Check-ins is a natural extension of our existing product. Best of all,
it gives the 1.25 million people who used our app last month a new way
to share information about local businesses with their friends and
other users.Check-ins
will also be integrated into our website experience, adding another
layer of trusted data for consumers who are reading the reviews. Now
not only will you be able to see who posted the review - but how many
times they've been there. This also helps business owners understand
who some of their most loyal customers are.

Will Regulars get access to Special Offers or Exclusives?It'll be up to the business owner if they want to offer exclusives to Regulars, but it's super easy to upload a Special Offer.
For almost two years now, Yelp has offered business owners the ability to
post free announcements that appear on their business listing on
Yelp.com and our iPhone and Android applications. In fact, businesses have posted over 200,000 special offers on Yelp to date.

There are many other exciting updates in today's iteration. Make sure
to check them out (pun intended) and let us know any questions via our Twitter and Facebook pages or at feedback@yelp.com!